Renaissance

• Renaissance


  Rebirth, a period of renewed interest in the civilisations of Ancient Greece and Rome
• Renaissance


  • Involved questioning old ideas from the Middle Ages and developing new ideas in art, architecture, science, literature, and medicine
• Causes of the Renaissance

  • Ruins of the Roman Empire inspired Italians
  • Fall of Constantinople in 1453 brought Greek scholars to Italy with ancient manuscripts
  • Wealth from trade allowed Italian merchants to invest in art and architecture
  • Travelers like Marco Polo brought new ideas from China, India, and Arabia
  • Competition between Italian city-states like Florence and Venice led to artistic patronage
  • Patrons such as the Catholic Church and the Medici family commissioned artworks
• Leonardo da Vinci


  • Born in Vinci near Florence in 1452
  • Became an apprentice to Andrea del Verrocchio at 14
  • Worked for the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, from 1482
  • Renowned artist, genius, and inventor
  • Used mirror writing in his notebooks
  • Made sketches of the human body, animals, and inventions
  • Famous works: Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, The Horse and Rider
  • Studied anatomy to improve his art
  • Pioneered the sfumato technique in painting
  • Considered a Renaissance Man for his diverse talents
• Michelangelo Buonarroti


  • Born near Florence in 1475
  • Apprenticed to Domenico Ghirlandaio and studied Donatello's works
  • Studied in Lorenzo de Medici's sculpture academy
  • Sculpted the Pietà in 1496
  • Painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling in 1508, commissioned by Pope Julius II
  • Chief architect of St Peter's Basilica
  • Famous works: David, Pietà, Sistine Chapel, The Last Judgement, The Creation of Adam
  • Known for his skill in sculpture, painting, and architecture
  • Studied human anatomy to enhance his sculptures
  • Died before completing St Peter's Basilica
• Printing Press


  • Before the 1400s, books were handwritten and rare
  • Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable type printing press in 1450
  • The first book printed was the Gutenberg Bible
  • The printing press made books cheaper, increased literacy, and spread new ideas
  • Latin declined as books were printed in the vernacular
• William Shakespeare


  • Born in Stratford-on-Avon in 1564
  • Joined a London company of actors called The King's Men
  • In 1599, the company opened the Globe Theatre which could hold 2,000 people
  • Shakespeare published 38 plays (e.g., The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It) and 154 sonnets
• Changes in Health and Medicine

  • Doctors like Andreas Vesalius investigated anatomy by dissecting bodies
  • William Harvey discovered that the heart pumps blood around the body
• Changes in Science

  • Humanism shifted focus from God to human knowledge
  • Interest in astronomy led to new theories about the solar system
  • Galileo Galilei developed theories about space and time, such as the Law of Falling Objects
  • Galileo improved the telescope and supported Nicolaus Copernicus's heliocentric theory
  • He published his ideas in 1632 but was arrested and tried for heresy, spending the rest of his life under house arrest
• Changes in Art

  • Medieval Art: Mainly religious imagery, painted on wooden panels or frescoes, flat and 2D, unrealistic figures.

  Renaissance Art: Included religious and secular themes, painted on canvas, used oil for a sfumato effect, realistic anatomy, and perspective for a 3D effect